Flaky Skin Zones, All over body Dry Rash 5yr old.

Hi,
I am hoping someone may be able to help. I am a concerned dad who is getting nowhere with a general practitioner. I want to see a specialist dermatologist, but have been told to wait whilst we try.

The skin area between thumb and index finger of my 5yr old hands are peeling. The skin underneath is very red, but seems to be NOT painful. He says it only hurts near where the peeling skin is attached. The peeling skin is very dry and flaky and the wound is a single patch. It is symetrical on both hands, same place and roughly same size.

His body has developed a rough feel, slight rash, again not painful, but distinctively reddened and rough. It's like rubbing your hands over a piece of wood.

The flaky skin is really affecting him and understandibly, 'he doesn't like it'. I think it is responsible for recent lack of attention at school. I don't know if other children have said anything, but he is acting different since it appeared.

The very worrying thing is that my wife noticed only today that it also seems to be happening around his anus. He has never mentioned this, but maybe he just didn't know.

Please help.

History:
He used to suck thumb, and developed sore patches in the same area. He stopped when we told him that was his thumbs falling off because of sucking. (Harsh but worked). But now he is questioning why it's come back when he never ***** his thumbs.

As a newborn he was left for a long time, unnoticed, writhing in his own excrement. My wife was passed out in recovery and he had been left naked under a UV light. When we brought him home we noticed he had a body rash. Like little yellow heads, but no pus content, just visibily like them. He was rushed back to hospital when we pointed them out and was in for 10 days, they did many tests, but no explanation ever offered. We never found out what caused it, but it went away, he was treated with antibiotics.

Hello,
The possibility of atopic dermatitis needs to be ruled out from such symptoms. There are certain other non-pharmacological measures which are important in treating atopic dermatitis. These are Lubricating the skin frequently, avoiding harsh soaps and cleansers, preventing scratching or rubbing whenever possible, protecting skin from excessive moisture, irritants, and rough clothing, maintaining a cool, stable temperature and consistent humidity levels and limiting exposure to dust, cigarette smoke, pollens, and animal dander.

If the symptoms persist then get it evaluated from your dermatologist.
It is very difficult to precisely confirm a diagnosis without examination and investigations and the answer is based on the medical information provided. For exact diagnosis, you are requested to consult your doctor. I sincerely hope that helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing.

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